Apni Party moves Supreme Court against Waqf (Amendment) Act

Srinagar, Apr 10: Apni Party has formally approached the Supreme Court of India challenging the recently enacted and controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The party, led by Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, has submitted an intervention application questioning the constitutional validity of the amendments, arguing that the new law severely undermines the rights of the Muslim community and disrupts the traditional Waqf governance framework.

“Apni Party has submitted a writ petition in the Supreme Court today against the recently passed and controversial Waqf Act. Hopefully, this matter will be taken up, along with other petitions concerning the same issue, for an early hearing,” Bukhari posted on X. “I strongly believe that this legal battle is about protecting the constitutional rights of minorities, as the amended Waqf Act undoubtedly undermines the rights of Muslim minorities—not only in J&K but across the country,” he added.

Praying for justice to prevail, Bukhari further wrote, “Through our petition, we have challenged the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and presented compelling arguments in support of our stance. May justice prevail.” The application was filed under Order 1 Rule 8A of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, before the Chief Justice of India and companion Justices of the apex court.

“The application challenges the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which substantially alters the framework of Waqf administration in India, including redefining core concepts, dismantling institutional autonomy, and shifting adjudicatory powers to executive authorities,” a party spokesman said here. The party contends that the amendments infringe upon the autonomy of Waqf boards and interfere with the community’s right to manage religious endowments as guaranteed under the Constitution.

The move follows a high-level meeting convened by the party on April 7 in Srinagar, where senior leadership deliberated on the ramifications of the newly passed legislation. The meeting, chaired by Bukhari, concluded with a unanimous decision to seek judicial intervention. “During the deliberations, it was collectively agreed that the Waqf (Amendment) Act not only centralizes control but also undermines the constitutional and minority rights of Muslims across the country,” he said.